Toilet case construction



" n.14,1958 E. K. RENZ Em 2,819,749

TOILET CASE CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 17, 1954 /9' /Q' 46 47 4o 4/ a o J 54 38 45 5/ 44 f INVENTORS EZEK/EL WOLF ms/ 14 TTORNE Y flame! Mll/ma 5 K. E

TOILET CASE CONSTRUCTION Emil K. Renz, Dedham, and George Miller, Wellesley, Mass., assignors, to Knight Leather Products, Inc., Jamaica Plain, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 11, 1954, Serial No. 475,878

Claims. (Cl. 150-34 The present invention relates to an improvement in toilet case construction and more particularly to the general type of toilet cases shown inour prior application Serial No. 351,826, filed April 29, 1953, now Patent No. 2,730,153 issued January 10, 1956 of which the present invention is an improvement.

In our prior application we have disclosed a toilet case in which there is provided a spring construction with a torsional spring element serving as a spring hinge between the cover and the rear wall of the case and a spring hinge also serving between the rear wall and the base of the case in such a manner that the rear wall of the case is given an outward tension to help retain a permanent form for the case.

In small cases the torsional spring section becomes quite short with the result that the spring itself is put under considerable strain when the twist is as much as 90 or more.

There is considerable strain under these conditions in small size cases where the torsional element, because it is not long, readily exceeds the elastic limit of the spring material so that it becomes fatigued and loses its springiness or breaks.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a case in which the torsional spring element will maintain its normal elasticity for the natural life of the case.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a torsional spring member in a small or narrow case which will withstand the unusual repeated wear of opening and closing the case without deterioration.

Without further describing the merits and advantages of the present invention, the application will be more fully described inthe specification set forth belowwhen taken in connection with the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a view of the spring and supporting element used in the case of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a modification of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the spring of Figure l incorporated in the present invention, and

Figure 4 shows a modification of the arrangement of Figure 1.

In the arrangement indicated in Figure l, 1 may be a cardboard or fiber board sheet made of semi-still material with transverse cut-out slots 2 and 3 extending a substantial distance across the board 1, providing flexible sections in the regions 4 and 5 and 6 and 7, wherein the sheet 1 may be flexed or bent when the sheet is positioned or fixed within the toilet case as indicated in Figure 3.

Secured to the sides of the surface of the sheet 1 are spring wires 8 and 9. These spring wires have end sections 10 and 11, respectively, central body sections 12 and 13, respectively, which may be substantially aligned with the sections 10 and 11 respectively, and lower end sections 14 and 15, respectively, which may be aligned with the sections 12 and 13, respectively, so

aited States Patent that the sections 10, 12 and 14, and sections 11, 13 and 15 are in substantial alignment.

Sections 10 and 12 are connected by a reversely bent section 16 extending substantially at right angles to the sections 10 and 12, and there are similarly reversely bent sections 17, 18 and 19, joining sections 12 and 14, 11 and 13, and 13 and 15, respectively.

The reversely bent sections 16 and 18 are preferably in alignment with one another and the sections 17 and 19 are also in alignment with one another and generally extend transversely across the sections extending up and down as shown in Figure 1. The spring wires 8 and 9 are secured in place at the reversely bent sections 16, 17, 18 and 19 by means of tabs 20, 21, 22 and 23', which may be cemented over the reversely bent sections which lie in the slots 2 and 3, the tabs lying over the surface of the cardboard or board sheet 1 and extending across the slots 2 and 3.

Additional adhesive tabs may be placed on the under side of the cardboard sheet 1 to retain the reversely bent sections in the slots 2 and 3.

The section 30 of the cardboard sheet 1 is intended to extend in the cover of the case and be secured therein. The section 31 is in the rear wall of the case and the section 32 of the cardboard sheet is in the base of the case.

The reversely bent sections in the spring wires will be spacedapart corresponding to the width of the rear wall of the case so that the upper reversely bent elements will be positioned at the hinge section between the cover and the rear wall of the case and the reversely bent sections 18 and 19 will be at the base of the rear wall between the rear wall and the bottom of the case.

In the arrangement indicated in Figure 1, half of the torsional displacement will be undertaken by the top half of the reversely bent element and half by the lower half of the reversely bent element. The stress therefore in the bent will be greatest near the curve of the torsion element at A, B, C and D. This can be relieved to a great extent by spacing the point of bend in the torsion element as indicated in Figure 2 by making the reverse bends at E, F, G and H with a radius of curvature such that the turning stress is distributed around the bows E, F, G and H of the reverse bends. The reverse bend sections of stems 16', 17', 18" and 19' have therefore their stress. distributed along the terminals of the eyelets and this tends to make an improved spring action.

The construction of Figure 2 is otherwise the same as that of Figure 1. The reversely bent members have efiectively twice the normal length or a length corresponding to the distance across the case, and yet the forces acting on the springs are in alignment with one another and therefore provide a stabilizing turning motion between the cover, the rear wall and the base of the case.

Figure 3 shows the spring with the mounting card fixed in a toilet case similar to the construction shown in our copending application Serial No. 351,826 (now Patent No. 2,730,153). The transverse stem element of each torsion piece is forced to accommodate only one half the total moment that would be necessary for a complete transverse extension of the torsion spring. This permits a greater amplitude of motion for each of the spring elements and therefore a longer spring life.

It has further been found that the springs are each individually perfectly placed in each section and will hold their places in the case structure with no difliculty whatsoever.

In Figure 4 the applicants employ springs in which transby side. The transversetorsional elements 33 and 34 have lateral extending sections37 and 38 to which the transverse torsional sections 39 and 40 are ioined as the same wire elements in similar positions to the elements 33 and 34. These torsional transverse elements are terminated in outwardly extending ends 41 and 42.

The spring wires are secured to a flexible cardboard 43 which is provided with window sections 44 and 45 to permit the easy bending of the cardboard at the torsional transverse section of the springs. The wires are preferably secured to the cardboard at 46, 47, 48, 49, S and 51 for one spring wire and at 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 and 57 forthe other spring wire. This leaves each wire secured except in the transverse section or the spring section.

Having now described our invention, we claim:

1. Atravelling case having a rear wall, bottom and cover, means flexibly securing the cover to said rear wall,

a reinforceing member comprising an upper section secured in the cover, a central section secured in the rear wall, and a lower section secured in the bottom, providing a rear wall section withhinging edges on the upper and lower edges of the rear wall, and a torsional spring structure secured to said reinforcing member comprising a pair of springs, each having a longitudinally extending central and pair of end sections, with said central section offset from said end sections, and transversely extending sections connecting said central to said end sections, said transversely extending sections aligned with said hinging edges.

2. A travelling case having a rear wall, bottom and a cover, means flexibly securing the cover to the rear wall, a substantially rectangular sheet having a central portion secured to the inner surface of the rear wall, a lower portion secured to the bottom, and an upper portion secured to the cover, a pair of spring members each having a longitudinally extending central section and two longitudinally extending end sections, said central sections of the spring members being secured to the sides of the central portion of the reinforcing sheet and the end sections being displaced inwardly from the sides of and secured to the lower and upper portions of the reinforcing sheet, and transversely extending sections forming part of the spring members and connecting said central sections to the end sections, the transversely extending sections interconnecting the central sections and the end sections secured to the upper portion of the sheet being aligned with the means flexibly securing the cover to the rear wall.

3. In a travelling case having a bottom, rear wall and cover, a rectangular sheet having a pair of transverse slots cut in the sheet inwardly from the sides and dividing the sheet into central, lower and upper portions, a pair of springs each having a longitudinally extending central section secured to the central portion of the sheet adjacent its sides, transverse sections forming part of the springs extending inwardly from each end of the central section and overlying the slots, and end sections forming part of the springs as a continuation of the transverse sections and secured to the upper and lower portions of the sheet, said sheet being adapted to be secured to said case with the central portion and upper and lower portions overlying the rear wall, cover and bottom respectively.

4. In a travelling case having a bottom, rear wall and a cover, a rectangular sheet having central, upper and lower portions, a pair of springs each having a longitudinal central section secured to' the sides of said central portion of the sheet, transverse sections forming part of the springs and extending inwardly from each end of said central section, and end sections forming part of the springs as a continuation of the transverse sections and secured to the upper and lower portions of said sheet, said end sections being off-set from the central sections of the springs, said sheet being adapted to be secured to the case with the central portion and upper and lower portions overlying the rear wall, cover and bottom respectively.

5. In a travelling case having a bottom, rear wall and a cover, a rectangular sheet having central, upper and lower portions, a pair of springs each having a longitudinally extending central section secured to the central portion of said sheet adjacent its sides, transverse sections forming part of the springs and extending inwardly more than half the width of said sheet and secured to the ends of each of the central sections of the springs, and end sections forming part of said springs as a continuation of the transverse sections and being secured to the upper and lower portions of said sheet, said sheet being adapted to be secured to the case with the central portion and upper and lower portions overlying the rear wall, cover and bottom respectively.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Miller et al. Jan. 10, 1956 

